Romanians to enjoy visa-free travel to the US?
Romania has met all technical criteria for entering the US Visa Waiver program.
Daniela Budu, 02.10.2024, 13:50
Romania formally fulfils all technical criteria for entering the US Visa Waiver program and Romanian citizens would most likely be able to travel visa-free to the US starting the first part of 2025, Romania’s ambassador to Washington Andrei Muraru posted on social media. Andrei Muraru:
“The US fiscal year ended, and the one remaining condition Romania still had to fulfil has been fulfilled. We are, of course, waiting for confirmation from our American partners, but our assessment based on the number of visa applications this year and the downward trend seen in recent years is that Romania’s visa refusal rate fell under 3%. Eliminating visas for US travel is the best recognition of the irreversible solidarity between the Romanian and the American people.”
However, the US ambassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec was keen to point out that Romania is still to make some important steps in the coming months to be truly eligible for the Visa Waiver program. She said further talks would be held this autumn between the two governments to review Romania’s adherence to a series of security measures agreed previously, adding: “In the event of a favorable decision being taken by the U.S. Government to include Romania in its Visa Waiver Program, we anticipate that there will be a period of careful preparation and public information-sharing before any changes in the current visa requirements can be implemented. Visa refusal rate data for all visa waiver country aspirants is usually published no later that January. Should all the conditions and preparations proceed successfully, the program could take effect sometime in 2025.”
Romania’s prime minister Marcel Ciolacu promised, after talks with the US diplomat, that his government remained committed to making the next formal steps to see Romania enter the Visa Waiver program. The country’s foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu recently emphasised during talks in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the special importance of Romania’s entering the Visa Waiver program and said she received positive signals in this respect. She said it was a team effort that must be continued until the goal is achieved.
The Romanian government previously committed to fulfilling technical criteria for Visa Waiver by 30th September this year. Joining the program would allow Romanian citizens to travel to the US without visas for a period of up to 90 days and for tourist and business purposes.
